


Rumor Has It

by GatesKeeper



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Actor Dean Winchester, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Human, Doctor Castiel (Supernatural), Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24030730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GatesKeeper/pseuds/GatesKeeper
Summary: Castiel Novak doesn't understand why the other doctors in his internship program are so obsessed with his love life.First, Meg tells him no one believes he really has a boyfriend--they think it's just an excuse to get out of parties and awkward date invitations.Next, they tease him over his supposed 'crush' on famous actor, Dean Winchester.If only they knew...
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 186
Kudos: 1336





	1. Chapter 1

“What do you say, Clarence?”

Castiel blinks, realizing that he has been standing in front of his locker, one arm in, one arm out of his trench coat for the last several minutes. Dazedly, he finishes dressing. “Say about what?” he asks Meg, patting his pockets in search of his cellphone.

_3 New Messages_

He looks up in time to see his friend smirk at him. “ _Drinks?_ Michael invited us all out—though from the way he looks at you, Angel Eyes, I’m guessing he wouldn’t mind if it turned into a private party.”

Castiel vaguely remembers the dark-haired doctor mentioning something about going to The Roadhouse during early morning rounds. Emphasis on the _early_. “We just finished a twelve-hour shift. I can barely think even _without_ being inebriated. I’m going home.”

He leaves the on-call room, headed towards the side exit and his Lincoln Continental when he hears Meg’s boots catching up to him. “So, you’re not even going to pretend this time?” she prods, turning to face him, which also means that she’s walking _backward_ —through a _hospital hallway_ —where sick patients get rolled through on _stretchers_.

Grabbing her shoulders, he spins her around in the right direction, pushing her slightly so she keeps moving. “Pretend about what?” he asks.

“You know—‘My apologies. I can’t go to the movies that evening. I already have plans with my _boyfriend_ ’—or ‘While I’m flattered you find me attractive, I’m already in a relationship.’ You know, the usual excuse you use when you want to get out of doing something.”

He frowns, remembering saying something to that effect when Meg asked him out on a date soon after they met—although he’s positive it wasn’t in that tone of voice. “I’ve only said those things because they’re true,” he defends himself.

“Yeah, right.” Meg laughs, darkly, the sound like two glasses of dark red wine _chinking_ against each other. Annoyance and confusion both rise within him.

“Why is that apparently so hard to believe?” he questions, as they finally make it out through the automatic doors. The sky is the dusky blue that comes after twilight but before true night sets in. They might even have been able to see a few stars if it weren’t for the glare of the dozen LED parking lot lights surrounding Edlund-Rosen Memorial.

“Let’s see… You mean, besides the fact that we’ve all been interning at the same program for a _year_ , and no one’s met this mystery man of yours. You say you _live_ together, but he’s always ‘out of town’ when you invite us over to visit. You don’t have pictures of him on your social media pages—or shown us any pictures of him at all. Hell, you haven’t even given us a _name._ ”

Castiel hesitates. “Dean…. His name is Dean.”

“Would be a lot more convincing without the pause.”

True.

“And the others think this too?” he wonders out-loud, feeling a crease forming between his eyebrows.

“Let’s just say that whenever anyone needs to skip out on something, the running joke is that they’re leaving to hang out with _your_ boyfriend.”

Castiel’s frown deepens. He pulls his phone out again, looking from Dean's four hours old message to Meg as he weighs his options.

Finally, he presses #1 to activate speed dial, followed by the speakerphone button. Meg raises a perfectly-sculpted eyebrow in interest as it rings.

It does so five times. Castiel knows from experience that the voicemail picks up after the seventh one—and he’s just about to hang up in defeat when a familiar sleep-worn voice picks up and croaks, “Hey, babe.”

“Dean!” Castiel says, feeling his heart warm despite the audience present. “I’m sorry to wake you.” He quickly does the math in his head and realizes, with guilt, that it’s just past midnight in New York, where Dean currently is for work.

“No problem. It’s the city that never sleeps, right? You were stopping me from doing it wrong.”

“The only thing wrong about the way you sleep is that you somehow always end up removing one of your socks in the middle of the night and then decide you need to bury your bare foot under my calf.”

“Yes, well… you snore.”

“No, I don’t.”

“No, you don’t,” Dean admits. “I just couldn’t think of anything else.” Cas knows that he’s far from a perfect bed companion. He hogs the blankets frequently and locks arms and legs around Dean at the first sign that he plans to get up in the morning, inevitably resulting in him being several minutes late for his first appointment of the day—and the fact that his boyfriend doesn’t list either of these things only serves to warm him further.

“You’re tired. Go back to bed,” Castiel tells him, gently.

“Mmm-kay,” Dean murmurs, words already muffled by a pillow. “Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

With that, he ends the call, smile fading as he turns pointedly to Meg.

“OK, _fine,_ maybe you weren’t making him up,” she says, crossing her arms and looking down at her black-painted nails. She’s leaning against a sports car that is neither hers nor his, looking every bit like she owns it. “Do you want me to testify on your behalf or something?”

“I would appreciate you correcting any misapprehensions our coworkers may have about me. I don’t particularly understand why my personal life should be any of their business, but if we’re going to be in operating rooms together, they need to trust me. Plus, I do the same for you.”

“What the hell are people saying about me?” Meg demands and Castiel instantly regrets bringing it up.

“You can come off as a bit…aggressive,” he says, as diplomatically as possible. “But I make sure to tell anyone who is scared of you that you’re much nicer on closer acquaintance.”

Meg’s teeth flash in the rapidly-falling darkness—a dangerous smile if ever he saw one. “Now, Clarence, _that_ is definitely a lie.”


	2. Chapter 2

Back in high school, Castiel was an outlier. Having a good dodgeball-throwing arm and an obliviousness that at least some girls found charming meant that he wasn’t bullied or teased—but neither was he welcomed with open arms. Where other kids traipsed through the hallways, arms thrown around their friends, he tried to make the most of the time in-between classes by reading while he walked. When he invited people over to his father’s house, it was usually for school projects.

It would have come as a pleasant surprise to the teenager he used to be to see him now—sitting in the middle of his living room, surrounded by people who shared his interests in a non-ironic way.

“What is…the Heisenberg principle?!” Alfie yells, after slapping his thigh like a buzzer.

It had become somewhat of a monthly tradition for the eight of them to gather and watch Jeopardy together—a game that Castiel won quite often, though at the moment he was trailing Anna by several hundred points. He pulls his attention from his score chart back to the screen.

As expected, Alex Trebek confirms Alfie’s answer—and as expected, the room is filled with the groans of the people behind the young prodigy. Alfie only grins, self-satisfied, grabbing the bowl of popcorn and stuffing his mouth full.

Since no one on the show had gotten the question right, the choice of category moves on to the person in the middle of the screen—a tall and shy-looking young woman named Patience. She bites her lip in thought before selecting “‘Winchester for the Win’ for $400, please.”

Sitting down on the floor, Benjamin rubs his hands together eagerly, probably anticipating one of his come-from-behind victories.

Alex Trebek squints down at his cue card. “Rather than giving his birthday, actor Dean Winchester usually tells people that he’s a _____, referencing the Zodiac sign for people born from January 21st to February 20th.”

Castiel shakes his head, caught between exasperation and amusement. “What is an Aquarius?” he says, a half-second ahead of Anna and Meg.

He grins as he adds up his points.

“That might be the first pop culture question that you’ve ever gotten right, Clarence,” Meg points out, her head sprawled across his lap rather unnecessarily.

Benjamin snorts, “Because it wasn’t pop culture. It’s astrology.”

Meg nudges the other doctor in the head with her bare foot, cackling as he swats her away.

On the TV, Patience picks “‘Winchester for the Win’ for $800.”

“Holy Resurrection, Batman! Dean Winchester is famous for playing ________, the antihero reincarnation of The Dark Knight’s sidekick, Robin.”

“Who is the Red Hood?” Castiel answers the game show host, at the same time Benjamin says, “Who is Jason Todd?”

“Who is Jason Todd?” Patience repeats.

“I’m sorry. Close but no cigar,” Alex Trebek tells the contestant. “We were looking for Jason Todd’s new secret identity. The correct answer is ‘Who is the Red Hood?’” A couple more surprised faces turn in Castiel’s direction.

“So, wait, you’re telling me someone _actually_ dragged you into a movie at some point, Clarence?” Meg asks in disbelief.

“I’ve been a couple of times, yes,” he says, but doesn’t elaborate.

The next contestant picks a different category, drawing people’s attention away.

Fifteen minutes later, Castiel is in the lead, followed by Anna, Alfie, Meg, Hannah, Benjamin, Aaron, and Ash…though they’re pretty sure Ash has been asleep with his eyes open this entire time. The man is a genius, undoubtedly, but how he got into a highly competitive medical program when his mullet always smells lingeringly of pot remains a mystery to them all.

A contestant named Victor is the one to choose the only remaining category, “I’ll take ‘Winchester for the Win’ for $1200, Alex.”

“Let’s see if Castiel here can keep his streak,” Aaron challenges, his voice obviously doubtful.

“I don’t know. He’s got your ‘I’m about to kick your ass’ face on,” Meg murmurs.

Castiel was unaware he had such a face, but he feels focused, none-the-less.

“Dean Winchester is quoted as saying ‘Family don’t end with blood’. However, he is second cousins with this female U.S. Olympian, who won a bronze medal for marksmanship with a 10m air rifle.”

Castiel waits, giving everyone else a chance to answer.

“Don’t know?” Anna prods him.

Cas faces the screen, a small smile twitching the corner of his mouth. “Who is Jo Harvelle?”

His smile gets bigger when Alex announces that as the answer.

“What the _hell,_ Clarence?” Meg asks, only to be quickly shushed by the others since the next question is about to be read.

This time, a picture comes up on the screen—of a very shirtless Dean playing frisbee on the beach. The room is filled with catcalls from the women and Aaron and Castiel can’t help the blush that immediately floods his face—even as the picture rapidly zooms in to focus on a tattoo written on Dean’s side going towards his armpit. Castiel suddenly feels nervous about what question is going to be asked.

“Dean Winchester got tattooed with a demon anti-possession symbol just like his character from Supernatural. However, fewer fans know about this second tattoo, written in what mythical language of the angels?”

Castiel breathes a sigh of relief, even as everyone turns to him, expectantly. “What is Enochian?”

He is, of course, correct.

“Well, well, well,” Meg’s words seem to curl at the end. “Who would have thought that our virginal little Castiel would have a celebrity crush just like a normal human?”

He tilts his head to the side. “I am above average height for an American man and I have also engaged in sexual relations.”

“And nowhere in that sentence did you deny wanting to get into Dean Winchester’s pants.”

“I…am a fan of his,” he murmurs, his blush returning.

“That is _definitely_ Castiel-speak for wanting to plow him against a wall,” Anna grins.

“Wait up,” Meg exclaims, lifting her head off of Castiel’s lap suddenly. “Didn’t you say your boyfriend’s name is Dean too?”

“Yes….” Castiel hesitates, feeling like his heart has dropped into his stomach.

“Do you have a type or what?” She snorts, then lies back down. Castiel slowly relaxes.

He thinks about mentioning that his boyfriend used to date a ‘Cassie’ in high school, which had prompted Dean to make a similar joke after they got together, but that’s when Alex Trebek announces, “Last question.”

Suddenly, a blaring noise comes from the screen, vaguely reminiscent of the sound produced by some children’s toys. “And it looks like it’s the Daily Double!” the host explains, unnecessarily, before asking the contestant how much he would like to bet.

“Well, what it will be Clarence? It looks like you have 18,200 to play with.”

He thinks about it.

He’s already in first place. He could bet nothing and win by default. Plus, he doesn’t like the look in his friends’ eyes—amused, but also implying he should be embarrassed to be ‘found out’. Except he isn't embarrassed that he knows a lot about Dean Winchester—just like he had never been ashamed of any of the things he knew in high school that his peers did not.

“I’ll wager it all,” he responds after only a second—jumping only slightly when Ash stirs and says, “Right on, Man!” Alfie fist bumps him.

Alex Trebek reads carefully, “Dean Winchester was born in the backseat of his family’s car on the way to the hospital. The vehicle, affectionally called ‘Baby’ by the actor, is this make and model.”

“No way,” Aaron murmurs.

“How is anybody supposed to know that?” Anna adds with a shake of her head.

Meanwhile, Meg is just watching him closely. “Now, now, I have faith in the little tree topper. In fact, anyone want to bet me next week’s scut that he knows what it is?” she asks the room, referring to the hours of filing, faxing, and badgering insurance companies that new doctors had to do every day before an attending would even _think_ of letting them actually use their medical degrees.

“I’ll take that!” Benjamin answers, automatically, followed by a tiny ‘whoop’ of celebration.

“So, Clarence, final answer is…?”

“A black 1967 Chevy Impala,” he responds, realizing a moment later that he gave more detail than the question asked for.

“Tell us more,” Meg prompts, in what amounts to her seductive voice.

He squints down at her, confused, “It has several Legos stuffed into the heating vent…?”

On screen, the episode ends with a rush of applause from the audience, but in his living room, everyone looks struck dumb.

“What do you know?” Meg grins, running her foot up and down Ben’s stumbled jaw for the second time tonight. “You really _do_ learn something new every day.”


	3. Chapter 3

There is a sinking feeling in Castiel’s stomach from the moment he sees his fellow interns gathered around a different table than usual in the hospital cafeteria. It only gets worse when he hears their laughter. Even Meg, whose expressions of amusement stop at smirking, has that dangerous sparkle in her eyes that usually means that someone she dislikes has been fired publicly—or an ex-boyfriend has shown up in the ER with a fork buried in his thigh. He really should consider getting some better friends….

 _And a better brother,_ he thinks, teeth clenched as he gets close enough to spot Gabriel seated in the center of the group, cake pop sticking out of his mouth. Beside him is a truly elaborate chocolate-dipped flower arrangement, filled out with more cake pops—and several heart-shaped white chocolate pieces airbrushed with Dean Winchester’s face.

“Cassie!” Gabriel greets, the only person who has always seemed completely at ease under his glare.

“I thought that I was supposed to pick you up at the airport, Gabe—five hours from now.”

“Eh, where’s the fun in that? I thought I’d get in early, check on some of my local branches, and surprise you for lunch. So…are you surprised?” He waggles his eyebrows.

“ _We_ were surprised,” Anna points out, selecting a strawberry from the bouquet. “You never mentioned your brother owned The Forbidden Fruit! I order from them almost every Mother’s Day—you could have gotten me a discount.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel says turning to him, expectantly. “What’s with all the secret keeping, Little Bro? You tell your smart—and might I say hot—friends when your brother is a millionaire. That’s like, Rule #1 of being my wingman.”

“Millionaire, huh?” Meg purrs, leaning forward so that her dark hair brushes the top of Gabriel’s head. It has been a long time since Castiel has been particularly religious, but, _please God, don’t let them become a thing._

He wonders if he should have prayed for patience while he was at it.

Gabriel, finished with his cake pop, sets the stick to the side, and reaches for one of the Dean Winchester pieces. He sticks his tongue out and gives it a very deliberate lick. Castiel’s hands clench into fists. “What, Cassie?” Gabriel asks, innocently. “Don’t like me putting my mouth on your boyfriend?” There is a smattering of poorly concealed chuckles and Aaron and Anna laugh outright.

“We might have mentioned what happened last Jeopardy night,” Hannah tells Castiel guiltily.

“Trust me, Cassie’s had a crush on him for _ages._ Obsessed. Has the shirtless Dean Winchester calendar and everything.” _Oh, I’m going to kill him._ “Of course, you want to talk about _really_ yummy, you should look at Dean’s brother,” Gabriel says, slurping around his lollipop. “Now _that’s_ a tree I want to climb someday.”

Cas does _not_ like the mental images that produces. Suddenly, Meg is looking like a much better match for his brother. _Better yet, maybe he can go back to Kali. She only set his apartment on fire that one time…. Surely, they can work through that._

“Guess we know who’s at the top of Castiel’s freebie list then,” Meg says, finally pulling out a chair to sit on and stealing the lollipop directly from Gabe’s mouth, teeth biting off the top of Dean’s head.

“What list?” Castiel asks, tiredly. His stomach is rumbling, and he’s got the beginnings of a headache coming on, but like hell is he risking leaving to go to the buffet or to grab an aspirin right now.

“Come on, Man. Bow-chick-a-wow-wow,” Ash exclaims, thrusting his hips towards the table.

“That…was not English.”

“It’s a list of people you’re allowed to sleep with outside of your relationship without it being considered cheating,” Anna explains.

Castiel’s face floods with color. “I would never have a list like that.”

“Don’t get all high-and-mighty,” Benjamin chides him, punching him on the shoulder. “I love my girl but if I run into Bela Talbot and she wants a piece of this—no question I’m going for it.”

“Then your girlfriend deserves better.”

“Most of the time, people pick actors or singers,” Anna says, as if that makes any difference. “So, the likelihood of you running into them is pretty much zero.”

“You still shouldn’t have one.”

“Are you telling me that if you ran into Dean Winchester on the street—with those Disney princess eyes and those hot-as-hell bowlegs—and he asks to pound you into the mattress, you’d turn him down?” Meg scoffs in disbelief. Gabriel mumbles something under his breath.

He answers slowly, “I would never betray the person I love for someone I merely found physically attractive.”

“Well, there’s the proof we all needed. Castiel is definitely not human,” Aaron mutters.

Hannah taps her chin, thoughtfully. “Hey, do you figure famous couples give themselves freebies? Like, if Dean Winchester is in a relationship with someone, you think he’d be allowed to sleep with his celebrity crush? I mean, he’s got a _way_ better chance of actually doing it.”

“Absolutely not!” Castiel says with a low choking sound.

“Why? Because celebrities are known for their long-term, committed relationships?” Benjamin asks, dryly.

Hannah shakes her head. “The ones who marry non-celebrities actually tend to work out OK a lot of the time. They just don't get as much press.”

"I think I read somewhere that Dean's actually been dating some girl for several years—except he's never let on who she is," Alfie adds.

Aaron opens his mouth—undoubtedly to say something that would make Castiel angrier—but at that moment, his beeper goes off, followed by Ash’s and Anna’s. Muttering under their breath about “colonoscopy” and “bedpans”, they all make a quick exit. The rest, besides Meg, seem to take that as their cue to finally get some lunch, leaving Castiel and Gabriel in an awkward staring contest.

“Peace offering?” Gabriel prompts his brother, having perhaps finally realized that he pushed things too far. He holds up a milk chocolate-covered pineapple. Cas smacks the fruit away.

Somehow, Gabe isn’t at all surprised to wake up the next morning in his brother’s guest room to find Kali—who definitely didn’t have his new phone number—has called five times and all of his clothes dyed pink.


	4. Chapter 4

The next time his friends bring up Dean Winchester, Castiel’s not surprised. The actor’s name has been all over the news—so, of course, it would also be brought up in their locker room as they all get ready for morning rounds.

“—never woulda pegged him for—”

“For what, Benjamin?” Aaron interrupts with a dangerously raised eyebrow.

“Oh, come on, you know I have no problem with you and Castiel liking guys. But you have to admit, Dean Winchester comes off like a ladies’ man.”

“He said he’s bi, right? So, the point is, he can both,” Hannah points out.

She turns to set her purse in her locker and bumps into Ash, who has one ear covered by headphones, listening to _Lynyrd Skynyrd_ , and the other half wrapped around his neck, playing to his collarbone. “Anything you wanted to contribute, Ash?”

“The decision to decide is a decision in itself,” the mulleted man quotes, before taking his headphones off—still blaring music—and tossing them inside his backpack.

“Profound,” Anna says, wryly. “Buddha?”

“Steve from Full House.”

“Ah.”

“Well,” Aaron begins, with a self-satisfied smile. “Guess this means that when the man himself comes to visit the hospital next week, Castiel and I will actually stand a chance.”

Aaron seems to get the reaction he wanted as half of the room stops in their tracks to look at him.

“What are you talking about?” Hannah demands to know—her straight spine and interrogative blue eyes a product of her childhood as a military brat.

“Oh, didn’t you hear?” Aaron asks, casually, looking like the cat who ate the canary. “He’s doing one of those Make-a-Wish visits for that kid with leukemia, Krissy.”

“You’re _kidding,_ ” Anna insists, obviously warring between disbelief and excitement.

“No, the dweeb’s telling the truth,” Meg confirms as she pulls her dark hair into a ponytail. She leaves several dark curls out to frame her face, which Castiel always thought must defeat the purpose of pulling one’s hair up in the first place—though he never dared state that out loud.

Aaron nods, enthusiastically. “I’m going to talk to Dr. Cain to see if I can work in oncology that day.”

Cas whips around to study him, his voice going sharp as his scalpel. “You’re seriously contemplating asking to switch rotations so that you can barge in on a sick child’s time with her role model?” he demands. It seems especially offensive since the patient is _Krissy_. Not that every child doesn’t deserve the chance to fulfill their dreams, but she’s a favorite among the staff. In and out of hospitals for several years, she’d never let her disease diminish her fighting spirit—and Cas’s heart both warms and breaks whenever he sees her trying to cheer up her father and the younger children in her ward where others in her position might wallow.

“You don’t have to put it like that, Man,” Aaron insists, shifting from foot to foot a little guiltily.

“How else am I supposed to put it?” Castiel questions, eyes sliding from one person to the other. Anna bites her lip, looking like she may have shared the same thought as Aaron. However, the rest seem to be on Cas’s side.

He’s still surprised though when verbal support comes in the form of Meg. “It’s not like you were really going to score any home runs with him no matter what team he's playing for,” she tells Aaron—the sting of those words lessened just because they're all used to her shit-talking them by now. “The whole reason it came out he was bi in the first place was because that interviewer kept on asking about rumors concerning his supposed girlfriend and he corrected her to say 'boyfriend'. How long did he say they've been together? Six years? Yeah, you’re not getting between that.”

Aaron protests that he wasn’t actually trying to _sleep_ with Dean, and while Castiel doesn’t believe him, he’s more interested in Meg’s magnanimous attitude.

“How did you find out about Dean’s arrival?” Castiel asks at last. “As I understand it, these things are usually meant to be kept secret until the last minute to avoid alerting the press.”

“Well, I, um,” Aaron clears his throat. “Might have been under a table looking for my contact lens when Dr. Cain came into the breakroom.”

“And you, Meg?”

“Oh, you know I don’t kiss and tell.”

Anna scoffs. “ _Yes,_ you do. Usually, with a frightening level of detail.”

Meg smirks but doesn’t elaborate.

Eventually, Alfie points out that it is ten to the hour and they all need to get going if they don’t want to get yelled at. Cas, however, stops Meg from leaving at the last second with a hand on her arm.

She looks down at where his fingers rest just above her elbow, then up at his face with a knowing smile. “A little too late to ride this ride, Clarence. While my new boyfriend’s open to some two-on-one action, I’m pretty sure he draws the line at incest,” she remarks, unashamedly.

“You’re dating Gabriel,” Castiel nods, confirming what he had already guessed. This would also explain the changes he’d noticed in both of them over the last couple of weeks. Still sharp-tongued and rough around the edges, but maybe a little _less_ rough than they were before. It’s definitely better than the outcome he feared at that first meeting, and he would feel relieved that they seem to be bringing out the best in each other, if not for one thing he knows in his soul. His brother is a blabbermouth. _Especially_ to the women he’s dating.

“You know,” he states, flatly. But then he thinks about it some more. “You know but you haven’t said anything. Why is that?”

“Maybe I enjoy watching the dipshits put their foot in their mouth. It’s entertaining.”

“I’m sure it would be more entertaining if you told them the truth.”

“Maybe, I thought you’d score me some autographs if I kept my mouth shut.”

“And yet, you haven’t asked me for anything of the sort. Never even mentioned it.”

Meg crosses her arms over her chest, defensively—and something in the gesture reminds him of a certain celebrity he knows who _also_ has a hard time taking credit for the good things he’s done.

“Thank you,” Castiel says, squeezing her shoulder.

She rolls her eyes, but not before he sees the fondness there. "Whatever. Are we done with this heart-to-heart now?"

“Just one more thing," Castiel promises. "Please tell my brother, there _will_ be repercussions for his actions.” And with that, he leaves to go get Mrs. Gonzales prepped for surgery.


	5. Chapter 5

Before Castiel can give more than a rumble of protest, Meg’s hand has dipped inside his scrubs and pulled out the long chain he’d had pressed to his skin. On the end is a ring. Black onyx makes up the top and bottom, separated by a band of blue resin (“I was trying to find something that matched your eyes—but they’re a different kind of blue all the damn time. This… I guess it’s pretty close to how they look in the morning. You know when the sun makes the room all glowy and you’re grumbling for coffee and shit,” Dean had said as he stumbled over his not-a-chick-flick moment.)

So, as annoyed as Cas is at his friend for exposing something he’d hoped to keep secret for a few days longer (and for unnecessarily brushing a nipple in the process), being newly-engaged means that the sight of it also makes him indescribably happy.

“Do I get an invitation?” Meg questions, swinging the chain in front of his face until he snatches it from her.

“Of course you do. You can even bring a plus one—as long as it’s not Gabriel.”

“What if I promise that I’ll keep him on good behavior?”

“Then you would be a good candidate to win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.”

They share a smile that would truly frighten his brother if he saw it.

Of course, there was no way that their conversation was going to pass by unnoticed—and as soon as Alfie asks, “Invited to what?” the group is gathered around them, examining the ring in his hand and putting two and two together pretty quickly. Castiel accepts their congratulations with grace and extends his own to Anna and Ash who finally heard back from the residency programs they had most wanted. Castiel, himself, will be moving to New York in a couple of weeks.

“Lots of changes coming, huh?” Hannah says what they are all thinking. They stand in silence, soaking in the moment.

“Group hug?” Alfie suggests, hopefully.

Meg wrinkles her nose. “I’ll amputate your arms and consider it good ortho practice.”

Benjamin sighs. “I’m gonna miss you the _least._ ”

/////

_Two days later…_

Every once in a while, someone will bring a couple hundred doughnuts to the hospital and leave them in the breakroom. But if Castiel thought that the feeling of excitement, competition, and self-interest got bad over breakfast pastries, it is _nothing_ compared to the storm of emotions in the air on the day Dean Winchester visits.

He almost gets run into several times by groups gossiping as they walk down the hallway—and his phone is constantly buzzing as his friends share blurry pictures of the actor to the group chat. Castiel’s interning with Michael for the day—and even though the older doctor makes it clear he’s _not_ a fan, he still brings “Ken Doll” up every few minutes, blaming him for all slow-delivered test results and out-of-bed patients.

Cas catches brief glimpses of the man himself all morning: wheeling a laughing Krissy through the hospital in her wheelchair, charming the woman who brings around patients’ Jell-O cups, signing the cast of a little boy with square-rimmed glasses. But for the most part, he’s busy picking up the slack for his fellow interns who, he’ll admit when Michael isn’t around, are a bit distracted.

Before he knows it, it’s nearing lunch time. His tired feet carry him toward the on-call room—and he thinks it would probably be a good idea to buy new shoes tomorrow—though he doubts his boyfriend will let him get off with spending his day off so responsibly. (“You were named after an _angel._ Didn’t that Catholic school teach you that Sunday is a day of _rest?_ ” “I doubt the nuns would approve of the ways you try to keep me in bed.”) His fingers touch his ring through his scrubs, lips curling up at the memory.

That’s when he feels a tingle on the back of his neck.

Two seconds later, Anna and Aaron have appeared out of nowhere and each grabbed an arm. “We know you’re trying to take the moral high road and all,” Anna admonishes, as they steer him away from the locker room. “But there’s _no way_ we’re letting you get away without asking him for his autograph or something.”

“This is entirely unnecessary,” Castiel protests, shoes leaving skid marks on the floor, but the redhead is determined.

“You’re not going to be interrupting his time with Krissy. He’s hanging out in the cafeteria.”

“Too bad _he’s_ not on the menu,” Aaron mutters under his breath, either not seeing or not caring the way Castiel scowls.

Cas points out that he was planning on having lunch anyway and there’s no need to _pull him_ , but his friends keep manhandling him. Eventually, they make it past the steel double doors and into a crowd that would probably be more appropriate at a concert than a hospital.

“Excuse us! Coming through!” Anna announces, forcefully, elbowing her way towards her destination without embarrassment. Cas stops fighting to avoid jostling more people than necessary.

Unbelievably, she gets them close enough that he can see Dean—and his bodyguard, Benny—standing with their backs to an emergency exit—circled by Benjamin, Alfie, Meg, and the rest of their group. Dean is talking music with Ash when he glances up as if he heard his name called. The crowd seems to fade as green eyes lock on him almost immediately. Cas’s heart rate speeds up.

Suddenly, there are hands on both of his shoulder blades. Caught off guard, Cas finds himself hurtling forward toward the actor as he hears Anna give an innocent-sounding, “Whoops!”

Dean steps forward to stop him from tripping, which somehow winds up with his arms around Cas’s waist and Cas’s hands pressed against Dean’s chest. Around them, his fellow interns give nervous chuckles, Benjamin coughing something Cas can’t hear.

“So… Do your friends throw you at every good-looking guy or just at me?” Dean asks with a smirk of amusement.

“If they did this regularly, I wouldn’t be friends with them. In fact, I’m reconsidering their position as it is.”

Dean laughs, causing his body to press against Cas’s more closely, the sound warming Cas from the inside out. “You gotten food yet?” Dean asks; Cas shakes his head ‘no’. “Got to tell you, I was surprised at what they’re serving up at the buffet over there. Onion rings AND fries at a hospital? Took a picture to send Sammy.”

Cas rolls his eyes. “Of course, you did. I also presume you had pie?”

“A slice,” Dean say, defensively.

“Uh-huh. Benny?”

The Cajun man’s left eyebrow twitches as he strives to maintain a straight face. “He had three.”

He expects some sound to follow that. Dean’s huff of annoyance, a snappy comment, just the general din of the cafeteria. But when Cas’s ears start ringing, he figures out it is because the space around them has gone quickly, _impressively_ quiet.

“What. The. Hell,” Anna’s voice fills the sudden vacuum.

Cas’s cheeks warm and he barely resists the urge to push his red face up against Dean’s shirt and breathe in the smell of “Mountain Breeze” laundry detergent and slightly-salty sweat.

Instead, he turns around in Dean’s arms to see half a dozen sets of eyes looking at him like he just sprouted wings. Aaron actually pinches himself. Meg glances up, briefly, then goes back to typing something on her phone. A second later, Hannah _shrieks._

“The ring, the ring, the ring,” she says, not really pointing in explanation so much as drawing a diagram with her finger.

Cas automatically looks down at himself, where his ring is still safely tucked away beneath his clothes. Then he realizes that she is talking about the ring on _Dean’s_ fourth finger of his left hand. Black onyx cut through with green resin. A clearly matching set.

“You--” Anna begins.

“Castiel…?” Alfie starts.

“So, what’s your favorite kind of pie?” Ash asks Dean.

One of Dean’s hands leave Cas’s waist to scratch the back of his neck. “Uh…cherry, usually. But last month, I made this Whiskey Butterscotch Praline Cream pie and--”

 _“Seriously?”_ Anna interrupts.

“Yes,” Cas says, with a tilt of his head. “It was quite delicious.”

“Castiel,” Anna tries again, talking through her teeth this time. “Are you really going to pretend we didn’t just all find out that your—your _fiancé_ —is Dean fuckin’ Winchester.”

Meg pauses in her texting to raise her hand. “I already knew.”

“Same,” Ash speaks up.

Anna looks like she’s about to have a heart attack. If she does, a hospital is at least the best place for it. “You told _Ash!_ ” she hisses, static causing her red hair to halo around her face.

“I didn’t inform anyone at the hospital,” Castiel promises, as warm lips of support press to the top of his head.

“Meg’s sleeping with my brother,” he adds, hoping that will clear at least that matter up—but by the looks of it, it doesn’t.

“You didn’t have to tell us,” Ash responds to immediate protests from the rest of the group. “Dudes,” he exclaims, exasperated. “How slow can you be? The Enochian tattoo? From that Jeopardy question? It says ‘Castiel.’”

“Why would we know how to read a made-up angel language?”

“Why _wouldn’t_ you?”

“So, let me get this straight,” Hannah says, slowly. “ _You_ —have been dating— _him_ —for six years, and you didn’t strangle Anna, Aaron, and Meg for talking about getting into his pants?”

Behind him, Dean seems to choke on air.

Castiel squints. “I think I made my displeasure with that idea fairly obvious.”

“Besides…,” he adds a second later. “It wouldn’t be practical to kill everyone who wants to sleep with Dean. I would just kill _him_ if he were ever unfaithful.”

“Hey, now!” Dean scoffs, offended. “I don’t stick things where they don’t belong.” Then he thinks about it. “Well, I don’t stick things not in you anyway.”

“And…just like that, you went from being my celebrity crush to one half of the kind of gross couple that makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit,” Anna announces, arms crossed.

And yet, that doesn’t stop her from blushing when Dean winks at her over Cas’s head.

/////

_The next morning…_

“So, still feel OK about going public?” Dean asks, the words slightly wet as they get brushed against Cas’s collarbone.

When they got home from the hospital yesterday, Dean had announced their engagement with a photo on social media. Then, they immediately shut off all their electronic devices in favor of a shared bath and what Ash liked to call “bow chica wow wow” and Cas preferred to call making love.

“Guess the real test will be tomorrow. You know, when we actually leave the house,” Cas says, tilting his head up as Dean’s lips roam closer to his neck. An involuntary breath rushes out of him, causing his fingers to tighten around Dean’s bicep, leaving him blissfully unaware that, on the other side of the country, his brother is leaving his seventh voicemail.

 _“Cassie, this is not funny. OK, it’s a little funny. But I run a business. You have to—”_ Beep!

 _“That picture your boy toy posted is on every fuckin’ news outlet in the world. Meaning a photo of me wearing nipple tassels is also on every fuckin’ news outlet in the world. Why the hell did you even use that Christmas photo? I--”_ Beep!

 _“Is this for the Meg thing—'cause, you know, if you were a good friend, you would have told her about Deano first--”_ Beep!

 _“You know what? It doesn’t matter ‘cause I look hot. I’ll bet those nipple tassels are gonna bring all the boys—and girls—to the yard. Just you wait and— ”_ Beep!

 _“Let me remind you, Cassie, that I still have a photo from that truth or dare game where you had to make out with that Dr. Sexy pillow.”_ Beep!

 _“You’re doing the dirty, aren’t you? Better not get that boy pregnant, eh, little Cassie. Hear that’s bad for a person’s acting career.”_ Beep!

 _“What’s this Meg says about me not being invited to the wedding? I’m_ coming _to that wedding. And I’m planning the bachelor party. We need strippers. Lots and lots of strippers--” Beep!_

Several days later, Cas deletes all the messages without listening to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like this work? Check out my Soulmate AUs:  
> [Meet Cute](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22384300?view_full_work=true)  
> [Fallen Angels](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22610509/chapters/54036844)  
> Or some of my fluffy, canon-compliant one-shots:  
> [Love Me Not](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22943404)  
> [New Normal](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23494333)  
> Want to talk to someone about SPN?  
> I'm [@_GatesKeeper on Twitter](https://twitter.com/_GatesKeeper)  
> and [Gates_Keeper on Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gates-keeper)


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